Clutch.



' c. E. SWENSON.

CLUTCH.

APPUCATIQN FILED FEB, H. 1915.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET f.

Q QQ

C. E. SWENSON.

CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED my 11. I915.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

- 2 SHEETSSHEET 2- gvwantoz i is provided with an unrrnn sra rns rarnirr canton,

CARL E. SWENSON, or nocxroan, ILLINoIs, ASSIG-NOR 'r'o MECHANICS MACHINE oo.,

Y or nocxronn, ILLINoIs.

CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters latent.

Fatentcol Nov, so, 1915..

Application filed February 11, 1915. Serial No. 7,574.

Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutches; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

My invention relates to improvements in clutches and more particularly to those designed for use in connection with unitary transmission systems, most commonly on automobiles, although it will be evident that the application of the invention need not be limited in this respect. The object of the invention is to improve upon the general construction of devices of this character to such an extent as to pro vide a clutch which will be much more eflicient than the common type of clutch now in use for the above named purpose.

To this end, I employ certain novel-features of construction and combination hereinafter described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a clutch constructed in accordance with my invention; Figs. 2 and 3' are vertical transverse sections as seen on the planes "indicated by the lines 22 and 3-3 of Fig.

1; Fig. 1 is a detail vertical longitudinal section taken along the plane indicated by the line 44: of Fig.2.

In these drawings constituting a part of the application, the numeral 1 designates the circular rim of a common type of fly wheel which is provided on its inner side with a frictionring 2, a web 3 being shown as continuing inwardly and longitudinally from the inner edge of the ring and as being secured by an appropriate coupling 1 to the engine shaft 5.

Secured to one edge of the rim 1, by machine screws 6 or other appropriate fasteners, is an end plate 7 which, for the sake of lightness is preferably provided with a number of openings 8, while its center is offset in the opposite direction from the web 3, internal annular seat 9 and with an openin 10, the latter being disposed at the axis of 'said plate.

E. Swanson,

such as those used Projecting axially through the opening 10, and havin a bearing stud 11 on its inner end revolu ly mounted in a bearing 12 dis posed at the center of the web 3, is a second shaft section 13 whose inner end portion is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending keys 14 upon which a hub member 15 is mounted to slide longitudinally of the shaft 13. Secured by rivets 16 or other appropriate fasteners to the hub member 15, is a disk 17, the edge of this disk being disposed contiguous to the active face of the ring 2, but being spaced therefrom by a fiat ring 18 which may be formed of any friction creating material.

Coacting with the disk 17 is a movable member or clutch ring 19 which is spaced from said disk by a ring 20 similar to the ring 18 previously mentioned. This ring 19 is here shown as provided, at circumferentlally' spaced points, with a. plurality of bosses 21 which extend from said ring toward the end plate 7, these bosses being provided-for the anchorage of the inner ends of a plurality of rigid pins 22 (see more particularly Figs. 1 and 4). The pins 22 lie parallel to the shaft 13 and project through guide bosses 23 which are disposed at suitably spaced points upon the end plate 7 the outer ends of said pins being provided with stops 2 1 between which and the guides, coiled springs 25 are interposed. It will therefore be evident that as the .end plate 7 is rotated by rotation of the fly wheel, the pins. 22 will impart such rotary movement to the ring 19. Furthermore, it will be clear that the tension of the springs 25 is exerted it will be seen that the pivots 31 are very near-the outer ends of the levers 30, and

' that said outer ends, designated in the drawings by the numerals 33, are disposed in contact with the inner ends of a plurality of set screws 34 which are threaded through the end plate 7 and locked by the provision of nuts 35. By this formation, since the set screws 34 constitute the fulcrums around which the levers 30 are to be rocked, it is evident that adjustable fulcrums are provided for said levers, this being an important feature, since as the friction rings 18 and 20 become worn, and it is necessary to force the ring19 farther toward the disk 17, the fulcrums may be adjusted to accomplish this result without causing the levers 30 to move excessively inward.

Heretofore, it has been common practice to provide grooved rings for the reception of the inner ends of the levers 30 and to employ spring means for forcing said rings inwardly, thus rocking the levers around their fulcrums to move the ring 19 toward the ring 2, thus clamping the disk 17 therebetween and imparting rotary movement to the shaft 13. This .construction, however, has been found to be inadequate since, as may result from faulty construction or from numerous other causes, inward movement of all of the levers tothe same extent, will not effect the same clamping action on all parts of the disk 17. It therefore becomes expedient to so mount the aforesaid levers 30 as to allow them to be moved inwardly independ- .ent of each other, thus allowing them to be disposed to their limits of movement, regardless of each other. For accomplishing this result, the inner ends of all of the levers 30 are free to move inwardly to the necessary extent, and the inner ,end of the usual conical coiled spring 40 is disposed directly in contact with said inner ends as shown in Fig. 1, the outer end of said spring being located in the seat 9 before described. B this change in construction, it'will be evident that the tension of the spring isexerted upon the individual levers to actuate them independently of each "other, thus allowing said levers to be moved inwardly to their limits of movement, irrespectively of the movement of each other. By so doing, the clamping action exerted upon the outer edge portion of the disk 17 may be equalized at all points.

In order to dlspose the levers 30 to inactive position, thus allowing the springs 25 to return the ring 19 to its normal position, and throw the clutch out of action, a sleeve 45 is preferably provided, such sleeve surrounding the shaft 13 and having its inner end mounted slidably upon the hub 15, said inner end being provided with a laterally extending flange 46 which abuts the inner edges of the levers 30, while the outer end of said sleeve is provided with a longitudinally shiftable thrust bearing 47 which may be moved outwardly by an appropriate crank 48, thereby moving the levers 30 to their inoperative positions and throwing the clutch out of action.

By summarizing the numerous features before described, it will be evident that the ring 2 and web 3 constitute one end wall of a cylindrical casing, that the rim 1 becomes in effect the annular Wall of such casing, and that the end plate 7 constitutes the remaining end wall thereof. Furthermore, although the disk 17 may slide to a predetermined extent upon the shaft 13, it becomes in effect, a relatively fixed clutch member against which the ring 19, or the relatively movable clutch member, is to be forced. Similarly, it will be observed by those skilled in the art to which the invention relates that although a single coiled spring 40 has been shown for disposing the clutch actuating levers 30 to active position, other spring means might well be provided for this purpose, the salient feature being that the levers 30 may be moved independently of each other and that the spring means is so disposed as to effect this movement.

Furthermore, although I preferably provide a ring 19 to be carried by the casing above described and to be returned to normal position by the springs 25, it clearly lies within the scope of the present invention to replace said ring by any appropriate type of clutch member, and to mount the same upon any preferred design of rotating member, in the'specific manner before set forth, namely by providing the pins 22, stops 24, and springs 25. It will likewise be apparent, that although one specific mounting of the levers 30 is disclosed in the drawing, and the preferred type of adjustable fulcrum, that these features could well be altered without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

I claim: 1 1. The combination with a rotating body having a plurality of circumferentially spaced guides whose axes lie parallel to the axis of said body, clutch members contiguous to said body, means for forcing one of said members into engagement with the other, of a plurality of rigid pins projecting laterally from one of said clutch members and extending through the guides in said body, stops on the free ends of said pins, and springs interposed between the guides and the stops.

2. The combination with a cylindrical casing and means to rotate the same, a shaftprojecting axially into said casing through one end thereof, a clutch member non-rotatably mounted on said shaft and disposed in the casing, a movable clutch ring in said casing, and means to force the ring into contact with the clutch member, of a plurality of rigid pins projecting longitudinally from the ring through one end wall of the casing and having stops on their outer ends, and ring retracting springs interposed between said stops and said end wall to retain the In testimony whereof I have hereunto set ring out of engagement with the clutch memmy hand in presence of two subscribing Wit- 0 ber. nesses.

3. The Combination with a clutch includ- 5 ing a plurality of clutch applying levers, of P CARL SWENSON a coiled spring having one of its ends in di- Witnesses: 'rect contact with one end of said levers A. G. JOHNSON,

3 whereby to move the same independently. C. H. CARLsON. 

